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Changes And Changes The Topic Of Overtime

by
Evan Sporer
/ Minnesota Wild

After falling to 1-8 in games decided in three-on-three on Tuesday with a 4-3 loss against the Dallas Stars, Head Coach Mike Yeo did not want to talk about the negatives of the Wild's loss in the postgame.

But on Wednesday, Yeo addressed the Wild's three-on-three struggles, saying change is on the way.

"Hopefully we get there a whole bunch more times and you guys get to see," Yeo said. "Going forward, I've got some different ideas we have that we're going to try, and we'll continue to do that."

While Yeo wouldn't divulge into the specific x's and o's, he did say they are more personnel-oriented.

"There's no reason why we wouldn't try some different things right now, that's for sure," he said.

Nino Niederreiter said the Wild's line changes were a factor in Minnesota's latest overtime loss.

"Overall, we weren't smart enough," he said. "They out-changed us in the overtime, and that's what happens. It's our fault. We saw a chance, and instead of just slowing things down, we went for it, and that kind of backfired on us."

The average shift time for the Wild in overtime on Tuesday was 43 seconds, while for the Stars it was 39.8.

But taking out two Wild shifts that totaled three and six seconds each, short stints that ended in the overtime goal, and that average jumps to 50.9 seconds.

"At the end of the day, everybody knows the system, so that's an area everyone should be playing with everyone," Niederreiter said. "Whoever is out there, you have to find as quick as possible chemistry, and have lots of talk on and off the ice."